U.S. democrats police nursing home executive pay amid new mandate
WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES — Democratic lawmakers are demanding answers from nursing home operators regarding staffing levels and executive compensation.
They have requested information on three nursing home chains’ staffing practices, resident care outcomes, and executive compensation levels.
The lawmakers aim to scrutinize whether funds are being appropriately allocated to ensure adequate staffing and quality care.
Politicians probe nurse facilities’ executive salary
The letters, signed by Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Richard Blumenthal and Reps. Jan Schakowsky and Lloyd Doggett, were addressed to the nursing homes’ executives, claimed that the institutions spent the following amounts from 2018 through 2023 on non-care expenses:
- National HealthCare Corp. spent more than $210 million on stock buybacks and dividends and $26.5 million on executive compensation.
- Ensign Group spent $145.2 million on stock buybacks and dividends and $144.8 million on executive compensation.
- Brookdale Senior Living spent $67.7 million on stock buybacks and dividends and $48.9 million on executive compensation.
The senators and representatives also demand that the three companies disclose how they calculate executive compensation and bonuses. The letter also seeks details on the firms’ average pay and tenure for their registered nurses and nurse aides.
Additionally, the lawmakers want the chains to provide complaints or comments from nurses over staffing ratios and pay.
The lawmakers also asked the companies to detail lobbying or advocacy spending, including payments that may have been used to lobby against a minimum federal staffing rule.
New staffing requirements
The demands come after the Biden administration finalized a rule establishing minimum staffing requirements in nursing homes, aiming to improve resident care quality.
The new rule, set to be phased in over two to three years, requires nursing homes to provide at least 3.48 hours of direct care per resident daily, including 0.55 hours from registered nurses and 2.45 hours from certified nursing assistants. Facilities must also have a registered nurse on-site 24/7.